Edith Sitwell

DAME EDITH SITWELL (1887-1964) was a poet, wit and notorious eccentric. With her brothers Sacheverell and Osbert she was also a member of one of the most famous literary families of the twentieth century.

Her work includes the poems Façade (set to music by William Walton) and Fanfare for Elizabeth and a single novel, I Live Under a Black Sun. She was known for being a tireless and selective patron of the arts, and her London home became a meeting place for young writers – such as Dylan Thomas and Denton Welch – whom she would befriend as well as help. She also championed the work of Wilfred Owen after his death.